Automatic topology configuration through automatic hardware profiles across multiple display units

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are methods, an apparatus and a system of automatic topology configuration through automatic profiles across multiple display units. A method of a display driver involves automatically identifying a hardware profile data associated with a plurality of display units, applying a logic function to the hardware profile data to create a set of automatic topology display settings when a match of the hardware profile data with a set of settings in a hardware profile lookup table is not found, and automatically applying the set of automatic topology display settings to simultaneously display a sequence of graphics signals across the plurality of display units. The method may also include automatically designating one display unit from the plurality of display units as a sample display unit and setting a scaling factor based on an automatic designation of the one display unit from the plurality of display units as the sample display unit.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

This disclosure relates generally to graphics processing technology, andmore particularly, to methods, an apparatus and a system of automatictopology configuration through automatic profiles across multipledisplay units.

BACKGROUND

A person may wish to use more than one display unit (a screen, amonitor, an LED display, etc.) to show a sequence of images (e.g. amovie, a presentation, a stock ticker, etc.). For example, many screenscan be combined to show a movie at a larger size and better resolutionthan would be possible on any of the smaller screens alone. It may bedifficult, however to achieve the optimal topology of the display unitssuch that the combination of display units work in concert in terms ofshape, scaling of display, and/or orientation/balance. The topologyacross display units can be complicated by a number of factors. Forexample, the combination of display units may include a variety of typesof hardware (television monitor, computer monitor, projector, etc.) anda variety of models from different manufacturers. A variety of cables ordevices could be used to interconnect and communicate with the displayunits.

Information about the particular hardware set-up may help to optimizethe topology across the display units. This information may be collectedmanually by a user, and entered into a computer through a userinterface, for use by a display driver. The user may identifyinformation about each kind of hardware device, and each interconnector.If the combination of display includes dozens or hundreds of devices,this process may become tedious and difficult to do by hand. The usermay not be in the same physical location as the display units. Forexample, a display in multiple locations may be controlled by a centralserver, like broadcast of a sports event, and/or broadcast of a surgicaloperation to remote experts. Additionally, if there is a change in thehardware setup during display, (e.g. one of the display devices isremoved or malfunctions, or a new display unit is added), the user wouldhave to investigate the change and/or communicate information about thechanged setup to the display driver. This manual process may cause aninterruption in the display of the image sequence and causemission-critical failure: for example, interrupting the play of a videogame, losing important portions of a live broadcast event, and/or eventhreatening lives if there is an interruption of a display of a livesurgery to physicians.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are methods, an apparatus and a system of automatic topologyconfiguration through automatic profiles across multiple display units.In one aspect, a method of a display driver involves automaticallyidentifying a hardware profile data associated with a set of displayunits, applying a logic function to the hardware profile data to createa set of automatic topology display settings when a match of thehardware profile data with a set of settings in a hardware profilelookup table is not found, and automatically applying the set ofautomatic topology display settings to simultaneously display a sequenceof graphics signals across the set of display units.

In addition, the method may include automatically designating onedisplay unit from the set of display units as a sample display unit. Themethod may set a scaling factor based on an automatic designation of theone display unit from display units as the sample display unit. Themethod may automatically designate the set of display units other thanthe sample display unit as a set of additional display units. Theadditional display units may follow the scaling factor set by the sampledisplay unit. The method may also include automatically designating ashaping factor to be compatible with the hardware profile data. Themethod may communicate the scaling factor and/or the shaping factorthrough a topology signal sent by the sample display unit.

The method may also include automatically monitoring the sequence ofgraphics signals, reapplying the set of automatic topology displaysettings if the sequence of graphics signals fails to meet a set ofperformance criteria. The method may report an error if the hardwareprofile data does not support automatic topological adjustment and/orconfiguration of the sequence of graphics signals, and may also recordthe error in an error log. The method may generate a view of theautomatic topology display settings at a display associated with a user.The method may enable the user to create a modified set of automatictopology display settings. The method may associate the modified set ofautomatic topology display settings with the hardware profile data. Themethod may store the modified set of automatic topology display settingsin the hardware profile lookup table.

The method may associate the modified set of automatic topology displaysettings with the user. The method may generate a view with a set ofpreferred automatic topology display settings based on the modified setof automatic topology display settings associated with the user. Inaddition, the method may automatically detect a change in the hardwareprofile data according to a set of change criteria. Furthermore, themethod may automatically generate a new set of automatic topologydisplay settings corresponding to the change in the hardware profiledata. The method may apply the new set of automatic topology displaysettings to the set of display units. The method may generate a view ata user display associated with a user (e.g., to alert the user about thechange in the hardware profile data and about the new sets of automatictopology display settings). The method may enable the user to create amodified set of automatic topology display settings.

In another aspect, a method may include displaying a sequence ofgraphics signals across a set of display units, automatically applying aset of automatic topology display settings to the set of display units,and modifying the set of automatic topology display settings tocorrespond to a hardware profile data collected from the set of displayunits. The method may automatically designate one display unit from theset of display units as a sample display unit (e.g., to set a scalingfactor). In addition, the method may automatically designate the displayunits other than the sample display unit as a set of additional displayunits, to follow the scaling factor set by the sample display unit.Furthermore, the method may automatically designate a shaping factor tobe compatible with the hardware profile data. The method may communicatethe scaling factor and/or the shaping factor through the topologysignal. The method may automatically monitor the sequence of graphicssignals and may reapply the set of automatic topology display settingsif the sequence of graphics signals fails to meet a set of performancecriteria. The method may report an error if the hardware profile datadoes not support automatic topological configuration/adjustment of thesequence of graphics signals and may record the error in an error log.

The method may generate a view of the set of automatic topology displaysettings at a user display associated with a user, and may enable theuser to create a modified set of automatic topology display settings.The method may associate the modified set of automatic topology displaysettings with the hardware profile data, and may store the modified setof automatic topology display settings in a hardware profile lookuptable. The method may also associate the modified set of automatictopology display settings with the user, and may generate a view with aset of preferred automatic topology display settings based on the set ofautomatic topology display settings associated with the user.

In addition, the method may automatically detect a change in thehardware profile data according to a set of change criteria. A new setof automatic topology display settings may be automatically generatedcorresponding to the change in the set of display units. The method mayapply the new set of automatic topology display settings to the set ofdisplay units. In addition, the method may generate a view at a userdisplay associated with a user (e.g., to alert the user about the changein the hardware profile data and about the new set of automatic topologydisplay settings). The method may also enable the user to create amodified set of automatic topology display settings.

In yet another aspect a graphics display system includes a dataprocessing device and a set of display units. The data processing deviceapplies a logic function of a display driver to a hardware profile datato create a set of automatic topology display settings when a match ofthe hardware profile data with a set of settings in a hardware profilelookup table is not found. The set of display units are communicativelycoupled to the data processing device and whose topologies areautomatically configured through the display driver. The graphicsdisplay system also may include an auto-topology module associated withthe data processing device to process the hardware profile data and toautomatically generate the set of automatic topology display settings. Ahardware control module of the data processing device may coordinate apresentation of a sequence of graphics signals across the set of displayunits, using the set of automatic topology display settings.

A timing module of the data processing device may designate one displayunit from the set of display units as a sample display unit, designateall other display units as additional display units, automatically set ashaping factor to be compatible with the hardware profile data, andautomatically initiate a presentation of a sequence of graphics signals.In addition, a control module may create a modified set of automatictopology display settings that are stored in a storage device inassociation with the hardware profile data. The graphics display systemmay also include a signal monitoring module to automatically monitor thesequence of graphics signals, trigger a signal display module to reapplythe set of automatic topology display settings if the sequence ofgraphics signals fails to meet a set of criteria, and trigger a storagedevice to associate the set of automatic topology display settings withthe hardware profile lookup table.

The signal monitoring module may further be configured to automaticallydetect a change in the set of display units according to a set of changecriteria, automatically generate a new topology profile corresponding tothe change the set of display units, and automatically apply the newtopology profile to the set of display units.

The methods and systems disclosed herein may be implemented in any meansfor achieving various aspects, and may be executed in a form of amachine-readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform any of theoperations disclosed herein. Other features will be apparent from theaccompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of this invention are illustrated by way of example andnot limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in whichlike references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a graphics display system, configured toautomatically apply a logic function to a hardware profile data tocreate a set of automatic topology display settings when a match of thehardware profile data with a set of settings in a hardware profilelookup table is not found, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved inapplying a logic function to the hardware profile data to create a setof automatic topology display settings when a match of the hardwareprofile data with a set of settings in a hardware profile lookup tableis not found, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the coordination between a sample displayunit and additional display units to coordinate a presentation of asequence of graphics signals, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a user display to present to a user withautomatic topology settings automatically generated by the graphicsdisplay system, and enabling the user to modify the automatic topologydisplay settings, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved inautomatic topology settings automatically generated by the graphicsdisplay system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved inenabling the user 402 to modify the automatic topology display settings,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the response of the graphics displaysystem to a change in the hardware profile data, in particular a “hotunplug” event removing one of the display units, according to oneembodiment.

Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from theaccompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments, as described below, may be used to provide amethod, a system and/or an apparatus of automated hardware profiling forautomatic topology configuration across multiple display units,according to one or more embodiments. Although the present embodimentshave been described with reference to specific example embodiments, itwill be evident that various modifications and changes may be made tothese embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope ofthe various embodiments.

In this description, the terms “graphic”, “image”, “media”, “display”,“presentation” are all used interchangeably to refer to a signal that isto be displayed across one or more display units. According to one ormore embodiments, a signal may encode a wide range of graphic data (e.g.as a movie, photograph, presentation, live broadcast, stock tickerdisplay).

In one embodiment, a method of a display driver 110 (as described inFIG. 1) involves automatically identifying a hardware profile data 102associated with a set of display units 130, applying a logic function124 to the hardware profile data 102 to create a set of automatictopology settings 106 when a match of the hardware profile data 102 witha set of settings in a hardware profile lookup table 112 is not found,and automatically applying the set of automatic topology settings 106 tosimultaneously display a sequence of graphics signals 122 across the setof display units 130.

In another embodiment, a method may include displaying a sequence ofgraphics signals 122 (as described in FIG. 1) across a set of displayunits 130, automatically applying a set of automatic topology settings106 to the set of display units 130, and modifying the set of automatictopology settings 106 to correspond to a hardware profile data 102collected from the set of display units 130.

In yet another embodiment, a graphics display system 100 (as describedin FIG. 1) includes a data processing device 118 and a set of displayunits 130. The data processing device 118 includes a processor 115. Theprocessor 115 of the data processing system may apply a logic function124 of a display driver 110 to a hardware profile data 102 to create aset of automatic topology settings 106 when a match of the hardwareprofile data 102 with a set of settings in a hardware profile lookuptable 112 is not found. The set of display units 130 are communicativelycoupled to the data processing device 118 and their topology may beoperated through the display driver 110.

FIG. 1 shows a graphics display system 100, configured to automaticallyidentify a hardware profile data 102 associated with a plurality ofgraphics display units 130, and to automatically generate a set ofautomatic topology settings 106. According to one or more embodiments,the set of automatic topology settings 106 may be automaticallygenerated through processing of the hardware profile data 102 in adisplay driver 110, communicatively coupled to a storage device 114 andalso communicatively coupled to a hardware control module 116. Thehardware control module 116 is also communicatively coupled to thestorage device 114.

According to one or more embodiments, the storage device 114 contains ahardware profile lookup table 112, which is used to match the hardwareprofile data 102 with a set of automatic topology settings 106. If nomatch is found, a logic function is applied to the hardware profile data102 to generate the automatic topology display settings (see FIG. 2).According to one or more embodiments, the display driver 110, storagedevice 114 and hardware control module 116 are part of a data processingdevice 118, containing standard processor, memory and bus components.The computer is coupled to the plurality of display units through anetwork 120, according to one or more embodiments. According to one ormore embodiments, the set of automatic topology settings 106 are appliedautomatically to the hardware, to simultaneously display a sequence ofgraphics signals 122 across the plurality of graphics display units 130,comprised of individual graphics display units 130A-N and may be used togenerate a presentation 140 of the sequence of graphics signals.

In one or more embodiments, the hardware profile data 102 may includeinformation associated with the plurality of display units 130. Thisinformation may include, for each display unit, a type of device,manufacturer, model, type of cables connecting to the display unit,other connector types, type and number of GPUs connected to each displayunit, display dimensions, display frequency, etc. According to one ormore embodiments, hardware profile data 102 may be collected andprocessed from the hardware components of the system whenever a newhardware component is added and/or whenever an existing hardwarecomponent is removed from graphics display system 100.

In one or more embodiments the automatic topology settings 106 mayinclude settings specific to each display unit and/or general settingsfor all display units 130. According to one or more embodiments, generalsettings may include a scaling factor 304A and/or a shaping factor.These and other settings may be communicated to the display unitsthrough a topology signal 304.

According to one or more embodiments, the plurality of display units 130are comprised of a single group of display units showing one sequence ofgraphics signals 122. For example, showing a movie in a single movietheater, across multiple display units. It will be apparent that thenumber of display units in a display group may be one, or more than one.In one or more embodiments, there may be many display groups, with eachdisplay group comprised of at least one display unit. For example,showing a movie simultaneously in more than one room of a movie theater,or in two different locations. According to one or more embodiments, theset of automatic topology settings 106 may include such parameters asthe frequency of display, recovery parameters in case sequence ofgraphics signals are interrupted for any reason, and the designation ofone display unit as a “sample” display unit to generate topology signal304 and the other display units as a set of “additional” units.

According to one or more embodiments, auto-topology module 108 mayprocess the hardware profile data 102 to generate the set of automatictopology settings 106. The auto-topology module may retrieve a set ofautomatic topology settings 106, corresponding to the hardware profiledata 102, from the storage device 114. According to one or moreembodiments, the display driver 110 may be set up to automaticallyidentify a hardware profile data 102 or may alternatively be set up toallow manual input of the hardware profile data from a user 402. In oneor more embodiments, the hardware profile lookup table 112 may store avariety of information about possible display devices, cables and thehardware profile data 102. In one or more embodiments the hardwareprofile lookup table 112 stores a match between a hardware profile data102 and a corresponding set of automatic topology settings 106. Thematch may be stored as a result of a prior successful use of the set ofautomatic topology settings 106 with the hardware profile data 102, ormay be based on parameters that make a particular set of automatictopology settings 106 more likely to work with the particular ofhardware profile data 102.

In one or more embodiments, the display units 130 may all be comprisedof the same kind of device and connections, whereas in one or more otherembodiments, the display devices may differ from each other along one ormore parameters. According to one or more embodiments, a display unit,e.g. display unit 130A, may be any of a number of kinds of displaydevices, including a projector, monitor, vacuum tube display, LEDdisplay panel, etc. According to one or more embodiments, images may beshown on a display unit itself (e.g. a monitor, LED display panel), oron an external display surface (e.g. a screen, a wall, floor).

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a graphics display system 100, configuredto automatically apply a logic function 124 to a hardware profile data102 to create a set of automatic topology settings 106 when a match ofthe hardware profile data 102 with a set of settings in a hardwareprofile lookup table 112 is not found, according to one embodiment. InFIG. 1, the data processing device 118 is illustrated as communicativelycoupled to a set of display units 130 through the network 120. Thepresentation 140 is an output of the display units 130 may work togetherin concert to provide a coordinated and the presentation 140 of a mediaoutput desired by a user 402 (as shown in FIG. 2) of the data processingdevice 118 in a cohesive and structured topological form.

The data processing device 118 includes a display driver 110, a storagedevice 114, a processor 115, and a hardware control module 116. A logicfunction 124 may be performed and executed by the processor 115 whencommunicated from the display driver 110, according to one embodiment.The display driver 110 includes an auto-topology module 108. Theauto-topology module 108 automatically configures and structures thetopologies of the display units 130 to create the presentation 140,according to one embodiment. The display driver 110 may be set ofinstructions that when executed through the processor 115 of the dataprocessing device 118 enable the data processing device 118 tocommunicate with video cards, display units 130, and perform theoperations of automatic topology generation as described in the variousembodiments.

The data processing device 118 may be a general and/or specific purposecomputing system having a processor 115, a random access memory, a setof controller cards including one or more video controller cards, and astorage device 114 having an operating system and a set of applications.The display units 130 may be video projection devices and/or flat paneldisplays (e.g., liquid crystal, active matrix, plasma, etc.) that act incoordination with each other to produce the presentation 140. Thepresentation 140 may be an output of a media file stored in anon-volatile (e.g., the storage device 114) and/or volatile memory(e.g., in a random access memory of the data processing device 118accessed from a remote source through the network 120). For example, themedia file may be a movie, an animation, an advertisement, and/or aninteractive display. The topology of the displays 130 may mean thenumber, shape, and/or scaling of each member of the displays 130together, and in concert such that the individual and/or complete wholeof the picture is proportionally and physically made compatible with theoriginal dimensions and scope of the media being played through thedisplays 130 and projected as the presentation 140. For example, thetopology may be geometric properties and/or spatial relations unaffectedby the continuous change of shape or size of figures as rendered in thepresentation 140 through the display units 130.

An auto-topology module 108 may include a number of sub-modules includea timing module 126, a control module 128, a signal monitor module 132,and a signal display module 134. A timing module 126 of the dataprocessing device 118 may designate one display unit from the set ofdisplay units 130 as a sample display unit (e.g. illustrated in FIG. 3to be the display unit 130A), according to one embodiment. The timingmodule 126 may also designate all other display units 130 as additionaldisplay units (illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display units 130B-130N).The timing module 126 may automatically set a shaping factor 304B to becompatible with the hardware profile data 102, and automaticallyinitiate a presentation 140 of a sequence of graphics signals 122.

The control module 128 may create a modified set of automatic topologysettings 106 that are stored in a storage device 114 in association withthe hardware profile data 102. The signal monitor module 132 mayautomatically monitor the sequence of graphics signals 122. The signalmonitor module 132 may also trigger a storage device 114 to associatethe set of automatic topology settings 106 with the hardware profilelookup table 112. The signal monitor module 132 may further beconfigured to automatically detect a change in the set of display units130 according to a set of change criteria, automatically generate a newtopology profile corresponding to the change the set of display units130, and automatically apply the new topology profile to the set ofdisplay units 130.

In addition, the signal monitor module 132 may trigger a signal displaymodule 134. The signal display module 134 may reapply the set ofautomatic topology settings 106 if the sequence of graphics signals 122fails to meet a set of criteria.

In one embodiment, a method of a display driver 110 of FIG. 1 involvesautomatically identifying a hardware profile data 102 associated with aset of display units 130, applying a logic function 124 to the hardwareprofile data 102 to create a set of automatic topology settings 106 whena match of the hardware profile data 102 with a set of settings in ahardware profile lookup table 112 is not found, and automaticallyapplying the set of automatic topology settings 106 to simultaneouslydisplay a sequence of graphics signals 122 across the set of displayunits 130.

In another embodiment, a method may include displaying a sequence ofgraphics signals 122 across a set of display units 130, automaticallyapplying a set of automatic topology settings 106 to the set of displayunits 130, and modifying the set of automatic topology settings 106 tocorrespond to a hardware profile data 102 collected from the set ofdisplay units 130.

In yet another embodiment, a graphics display system 100 includes a dataprocessing device 118 and a set of display units 130. The dataprocessing device 118 includes a processor 115. The processor 115 of thedata processing system may apply a logic function 124 of a displaydriver 110 of FIG. 1 to a hardware profile data 102 to create a set ofautomatic topology settings 106 when a match of the hardware profiledata 102 with a set settings in a hardware profile lookup table 112 isnot found. The set of display units 130 are communicatively coupled tothe data processing device 118 and their topology is automaticallyconfigured through the display driver 110 of FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, a method of a display driver 110 of FIG. 1 involvesautomatically identifying a hardware profile data 102 associated with aset of display units 130, applying a logic function 124 to the hardwareprofile data 102 to create a set of automatic topology settings 106 whena match of the hardware profile data 102 with a set of settings in ahardware profile lookup table 112 is not found, and automaticallyapplying the set of automatic topology settings 106 to simultaneouslydisplay a sequence of graphics signals 122 across the set of displayunits 130.

In addition, the method may include automatically designating onedisplay unit from the set of display units 130 as a sample display unit(e.g. illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display unit 130A). The method mayset a scaling factor 304A based on an automatic designation of the onedisplay unit from display units 130 as the sample display unit (e.g.illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display unit 130A). The method may alsoinclude automatically monitoring the sequence of graphics signals 122,reapplying the set of automatic topology settings 106 if the sequence ofgraphics signals 122 fails to meet a set of performance criteria. Themethod may report an error if the hardware profile data 102 does notsupport automatic topology display of the sequence of graphics signals122, and may also record the error in an error log 113. The method maygenerate a view of the automatic topology settings 106 at a display(e.g., any one of the display units 130) associated with a user 402. Themethod may enable the user 402 to create a modified set of automatictopology settings 106. The method may associate the modified set ofautomatic topology settings 106 with the hardware profile data 102. Themethod may store the modified set of automatic topology settings 106 inthe hardware profile lookup table 112.

The method may associate the modified set of automatic topology settings106 with the user 402. The method may generate a view with a set ofpreferred automatic topology settings 106 based on the modified set ofautomatic topology settings 106 associated with the user 402. Inaddition, the method may automatically detect a change in the hardwareprofile data 102 according to a set of change criteria. Furthermore, themethod may automatically generate a new set of automatic topologysettings 106 corresponding to the change in the hardware profile data102. The method may apply the new set of automatic topology settings 106to the set of display units 130. The method may generate a view at auser 402 display associated with a user 402 (e.g., to alert the user 402about the change in the hardware profile data 102 and about the new setsof automatic topology settings 106). The method may enable the user 402to create a modified set of automatic topology settings 106.

In another embodiment, a method may include displaying a sequence ofgraphics signals 122 across a set of display units 130, automaticallyapplying a set of automatic topology settings 106 to the set of displayunits 130, and modifying the set of automatic topology settings 106 tocorrespond to a hardware profile data 102 collected from the set ofdisplay units 130. The method may automatically designate one displayunit from the set of display units 130 as a sample display unit (e.g.illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display unit 130A) (e.g., to set ascaling factor 304A). In addition, the method may automaticallydesignate the display units 130 other than the sample display unit (e.g.illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display unit 130A) as a set ofadditional display units (illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display units130B-130N), to follow the scaling factor 304A set by the sample displayunit (e.g. illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display unit 130A).Furthermore, the method may automatically designate a shaping factor304B to be compatible with the hardware profile data 102. The method maycommunicate the scaling factor 304A and/or the shaping factor 304Bthrough the topology signal 304. The method may automatically monitorthe sequence of graphics signals 122 and may reapply the set ofautomatic topology settings 106 if the sequence of graphics signals 122fails to meet a set of performance criteria. The method may report anerror if the hardware profile data does not support automatic topologyconfiguration of the sequence of graphics signals 122 and may record theerror in an error log 113.

The method may generate a view of the set of automatic topology settings106 at a user 402 display associated with a user 402, and may enable theuser 402 to create a modified set of automatic topology settings 106.The method may associate the modified set of automatic topology settings106 with the hardware profile data 102, and may store the modified setof automatic topology settings 106 in a hardware profile lookup table112. The method may also associate the modified set of automatictopology settings 106 with the user 402, and may generate a view with aset of preferred automatic topology settings 106 based on the set ofautomatic topology settings 106 associated with the user 402.

In addition, the method may automatically detect a change in thehardware profile data 102 according to a set of change criteria. A newset of automatic topology settings 106 may be automatically generatedcorresponding to the change in the set of display units 130. The methodmay apply the new set of automatic topology settings 106 to the set ofdisplay units 130. In addition, the method may generate a view at a user402 display associated with a user 402 (e.g., to alert the user 402about the change in the hardware profile data 102 and about the new setof automatic topology settings 106). The method may also enable the user402 to create a modified set of automatic topology settings 106.

In yet another embodiment, a graphics display system 100 includes a dataprocessing device 118 and a set of display units 130. The dataprocessing device 118 applies a logic function 124 of a display driver110 of FIG. 1 to a hardware profile data 102 to create a set ofautomatic topology settings 106 when a match of the hardware profiledata 102 with a set of settings in a hardware profile lookup table 112is not found. The set of display units 130 are communicatively coupledto the data processing device 118 and whose topologies are automaticallyconfigured through the display driver 110 of FIG. 1. The graphicsdisplay system 100 also may include an auto-topology module associatedwith the data processing device 118 to process the hardware profile data102 and to automatically generate the set of automatic topology settings106. A hardware control module 116 of the data processing device 118 maycoordinate a presentation 140 of a sequence of graphics signals 122across the set of display units 130, using the set of automatic topologysettings 106.

FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved inapplying a logic function 124 to the hardware profile data 102 to createa set of automatic topology settings 106 when a match of the hardwareprofile data 102 with a set of settings in a hardware profile lookuptable 112 is not found, according to one embodiment. In operation 200, ahardware profile data 102 may be automatically identified. In operation202, the hardware profile data 102 may be matched with a set ofautomatic topology settings 106 in a hardware profile lookup table 112.In operation 204, if a match is not found, a logic function 124 may beapplied to the hardware profile data 102 to create a set ofautomatically generated automatic topology settings 106. Then, inoperation 206, he set of automatic topology settings 106 may be appliedto the display units 130 to create the presentation 140.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the coordination between a sample displayunit and additional display units to coordinate a presentation of asequence of graphics signals 122, according to one embodiment. FIG. 3illustrates a concept in which one of the display units 130 may be asample display unit (illustrated as display unit 130A), while otherdisplay units (130B-130N) are additional display units. Also illustratedin FIG. 3 is the concept that the various display units 130 worktogether in concert to form the presentation 140. The resolution of thepresentation 140 may be greater than any one of the display units 130individually because of the automatic topolgies made possible by thevarious display units 130 using the display driver 110, according to oneembodiment. The presentation 140 may seamlessly progress across the axisof time 306 in a coordinated and structured topological form accordingto one embodiment.

The method may automatically designate the set of display units 130other than the sample display unit (e.g. illustrated in FIG. 3 to be thedisplay unit 130A) as a set of additional display units (illustrated inFIG. 3 to be the display units 130B-130N). The additional display units(illustrated in FIG. 3 to be the display units 130B-130N) may follow thescaling factor 304A set by the sample display unit (e.g. illustrated inFIG. 3 to be the display unit 130A). The method may also includeautomatically designating a shaping factor 304B to be compatible withthe hardware profile data 102. The method may communicate the scalingfactor 304A and/or the shaping factor 304B through a topology signal 304sent by the sample display unit (e.g. illustrated in FIG. 3 to be thedisplay unit 130A).

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the automatic topology settings 106automatically generated by the graphics display system 100, and enablingthe user 402 to modify the automatic topology settings 106, according toone embodiment. Particularly, FIG. 4 shows a set of automatic topologysettings 106 that area automatically set to adjust the display units 130based on the various embodiments described herein. The console 404(e.g., an input device, a serially connected computer to the graphicsdisplay system 100) of the user 402 may automatically communicate thehardware profile data 102 and/or automatic topology settings 106 to thegraphics display system 100, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved inautomatic topology settings 106 automatically generated by the graphicsdisplay system 100, according to one embodiment. In operation 502,automatic topology settings 106 may be automatically generated. Inoperation 504, a view of display settings for the user may be provided.Then, the user may determine whether they wish to manually modify theautomatically created display settings in operation 504. If the userselects ‘No’ the automatically generated topology display settings maybe applied similarly as in operation 206 of FIG. 2. If the user selects‘Yes’, changes to the settings may be made in operation 508. The usermay still have an option to make changes to the hardware profile data inoperation 512 whether they select ‘No’ or ‘hyes’ in modifying usersettings in operation 506. The hardware profile settings may beautomatically set as previously described in operation 200 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved inenabling the user 402 to modify the automatic topology settings 106,according to one embodiment. In operation 600, a sequence of graphicssignals 122 may be automatically displayed across a plurality of displayunits 130 to create the presentation 140. Then, in operation 602, a setof automatic topology settings 106 may be automatically applied to anynumber of display units 130. Next, in operation 604, the set ofautomatic topology settings 106 may be modified to correspond to ahardware profile data 102 collected from display units 130.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the response of the graphics displaysystem 100 to a change in the hardware profile data 102, in particular ahot unplug event 700 removing one of the display units 130. With such achange, the graphics display system 100 registers a change in thehardware profile data 102 and generates a changed set of automatictopology settings 106, according to one embodiment. Particularly, inFIG. 7, a hot unplug event 700 may mean that one or more of the displayunits 130 are removed while the power to them and to the data processingdevice 118 is still on. In such an instance, the embodiment shown inFIG. 7 automatically reconfigures itself based on the display unit nolonger active. As shown in the bottom FIG. 7, the display unit 130N ishot swapped in the system and is no longer active. In such a scenario,the system would automatically reconfigure itself so that thepresentation 140 may continue with the entire media displayed throughthe remaining display units only. As shown in FIG. 7, the display unit130A (sample display unit) and the display unit 130B (one of theadditional display units) show the entire media presentation includingthe car and the house in the absence of the hot unplugged one of thedisplay unit 130N which was removed. The top portion of FIG. 7 shows themedia being displayed in its complete form prior to the hot unplug event700 using all displays, including display unit 130N.

Although the present embodiments have been described with reference tospecific example embodiments, it will be evident that variousmodifications and changes may be made to these embodiments withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments.For example, the various devices and modules described herein may beenabled and operated using hardware circuitry (e.g., CMOS based logiccircuitry), firmware, software or any combination of hardware, firmware,and software (e.g., embodied in a machine readable medium). For example,the various electrical structure and methods may be embodied usingtransistors, logic gates, and electrical circuits (e.g., applicationspecific integrated (ASIC) circuitry and/or Digital Signal Processor(DSP) circuitry).

In addition, it will be appreciated that the various operations,processes, and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in amachine-readable medium and/or a machine accessible medium compatiblewith a data processing device (e.g., a computer device). Accordingly,the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: automatically identifyinghardware profile data associated with a plurality of display units;creating a set of topology settings when the hardware profile data doesnot match a set of settings in a hardware profile lookup table; andautomatically applying the set of topology settings to simultaneouslydisplay a sequence of graphics signals across the plurality of displayunits.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the set of topologysettings comprises retrieving topology settings that correspond to thehardware profile data from a storage device.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the hardware profile data is manually input by a user.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the hardware profile data is collected fromthe set of display units.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardwareprofile lookup table includes information corresponding to a pluralityof possible display devices and cables.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the topology settings include at least one of a number ofdisplay units in the plurality of display units, a shape of each displayunit in the plurality of display units, and a scaling factor for eachdisplay unit in the plurality of display units.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein one display unit in the plurality of display units isdesignated as a sample display unit, and wherein one or more additionaldisplay units in the plurality of display units are designated asadditional display units.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:generating a view of the topology settings for a user; and determiningthat the user would like to manually modify the topology settings,modifying the topology settings based on user input.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising modifying the topology settings based on achange in the hardware profile data triggered by a hot unplug event. 10.A system comprising: a plurality of display units; and a data processingdevice communicatively coupled to the plurality of display units, thedata processing device configured to: automatically identify hardwareprofile data associated with the plurality of display units, create aset of topology settings when the hardware profile data does not match aset of settings in a hardware profile lookup table, and automaticallyapply the set of topology settings to simultaneously display a sequenceof graphics signals across the plurality of display units.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the topology settings include at least oneof a number of display units in the plurality of display units, a shapeof each display unit in the plurality of display units, and a scalingfactor for each display unit in the plurality of display units.
 12. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the data processing device includes adisplay driver associated with the plurality of display units.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the display driver includes an auto-topologymodule configured to process the hardware profile data and automaticallycreate the set of topology settings.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereincreating the set of topology settings comprises retrieving topologysettings that correspond to the hardware profile data from a storagedevice.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the auto-topology moduleincludes: a timing module configured to: designate one display unit inthe plurality of display units as a sample display unit, designate allother display units in the plurality of display units other than thesample display unit as additional display units, automatically set ashaping factor that is compatible with the hardware profile data, andautomatically initiate a presentation of the sequence of graphicssignals; a control module configured to create a modified set oftopology settings; a signal monitoring module configured to monitor thesequence of graphics signals; and a signal display module configured toapply the set of topology settings to the plurality of display units.16. The system of claim 12, wherein the display driver is configured tomodify the topology settings based on a change in the hardware profiledata triggered by a hot unplug event.
 17. The system of claim 10,wherein the hardware profile data is collected from the plurality ofdisplay units.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware profilelookup table includes information corresponding to a plurality ofpossible display devices and cables.
 19. The system of claim 10, furtherincluding a storage device that stores the hardware profile data and thehardware profile lookup table.